Poem-mobiles: Crazy Car Poems

by J. Patrick Lewis

The U.S. Children's Poet Laureate and an award-winning children's poet join their prolific forces in this picture book of poems about cars. But they're not just any there's the "Sloppy-Floppy-Nonstop-Jalopy" ("So unique there is no copy"); the Bathtub Limosine ("With hot water heating / And porcelain seating"); and the "High Heel Car." Each of the thirteen quirky, inventive poems will speak directly to the imaginations of children, as will Holmes's high-concept, detail-filled illustrations.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Childrens, Cars, Fantasy, Humor, Transport

40 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

J. Patrick Lewis is the current Children's Poet Laureate. He has written more than seventy children's books, including Once Upon a Tomb: Gravely Humorous Verses. J. Patrick Lewis lives in Ohio.

Reviews

[Mary]

With witty wordplay and lively silliness, Lewis and Florian have teamed up to create a joyous collection of poems celebrating wild and wacky vehicles. The poetry is easily scanned, highly accessible, and comfortably quirky.

Holmes' exuberant illustrations are a perfect match for Lewis and Florian's whimsical humor. Verses like The Sloppy-Floppy-Nonstop-Jalopy are well-served with Holmes' detailed imaginative inventions. This is a carefully crafted picture book beginning with the delightfully vibrant book cover and end papers with tire treads to the clever poetic puns in Jurassic Park(ing). Although geared toward younger readers, this playful poetry collection will resonate with readers of all ages. A fun read aloud!

[Terri]

Poetry can be overlooked in children's literature - readers are often quick to pass over this genre in favor of true facts or familiar characters. Poem-Mobiles has an interesting way of inviting readers in. Each crazy car concoction is accompanied by a short poem and illustrations reminiscent in some ways of 1960's Pop Art. At first glance I would have dismissed this title, but repeated requests by my son to read it again made me think twice.

[Caitlyn Patton]

I loved this book! It displayed the idea of poetry in such a cute and kid-friendly way! Throughout the book, there are short poems about different types of made-up cars such as a banana split car, a rubber band car, and many more. Each poem has its own unique story and uses many forms of figurative language. I would use this in my classroom by encouraging students to write their own poem about a made-up car. Using this book as reference, students could make up their own car and practice writing a short poem about it using certain figurative language elements. We could even put these poems into our own classroom poetry book! Before writing their own poem, we could do a brainstorming activity where they come up with ideas of imaginative cars and details that they may have. This is a great book for young children and a great starter activity for the understanding of poetry!

[Nicole Graham]

Pictures relate to lives, made up of car parts. Low color tones, poems match pictures. Balloon page in the book was vibrant and interactive with fold outs. LOVED the images, very related to the words, easy to follow. Illustrations are clear and bold with lower colored tones, defined lines, geometric.

[J.]

A fun and silly book, and an instant win with my toddler who loves both cars and poetry. I could see this being great for multiple age groups: prek/kindergarten and then a bit older when you could delve more into using it as a springboard for creating your own cars (and maybe poetry about your invention.)

[Alice]

Don't take this the wrong way, but my favorite part of the book was the end! I though the poetic and illustrator profiles were fun! Yes, it was fun to read about modes of transportation...I thought dad and the balloons was funny (but don't say POP--LOL!!!) It got a few smiles from me!

[Myriale]

This book was funny, but not as interesting as I thought it would be.I would recommend this book to pre-k students because I do think that age groups would find this book amusing. The book "Poem-Mobiles" would be a great book to use if you are introducing the idea of poems to young readers.

[Samantha Preeo]

This book truly brings imagination to life with the amazing illustrations and poems! I chose this because I feel children of all ages and even adults would enjoy reading this. It teaches rhyming and also all of the different automobiles that could potentially be created with crazy imagination!

[Katie Michkiosky]

This is a fun book! It is very creative with the different types of cars that would intrigue students. The illustrations help to give background to each poem within the story.


Trait: Presentation & Fluency

DRA = N/A
Lexile = N/A

[Kaylee Fletcher]

This is a great book for both boys and girls. It could be an introductory story for poetry or it could be used to show different styles and creativity used in poems. Great book!

Trait: sentence fluency

Guided Reading: N/A
DRA: N/A

[Kiyoko]

We read a severely damaged library copy of this book and I think it was missing some pages. I enjoyed the fanciful artwork, which gave us quite a bit to talk about. Snippets of the poetry sparked interest in the prose, but the kids weren't enthusiastic.

3.5 stars

[Ellon]

The book definitely was silly...

I wasn't a huge fan of the poems. I thought it was an interesting idea to have poems about cars but I didn't expect the cars to all be made up. I did add a star for the illustrations, which were very detailed and fun to examine.

[Becky]

Poetry isn’t something that my boys take much interest in, but they do enjoy this one. All the fantastic, imaginative cars and the quirky, steampunk-inspired pictures very much appeal to them. Particularly the page with the dinosaur and dragon cars.

[Sara]

This is a really cute book with crazy cars my 4 year old loves it!

[April Moody]

a fun picture book filled with cray car poems.

[Taylor Nichols]

I absolutely love this book. The illustrations are full of life and color, the word play is unbelievable, and it’s nothing but fun for kids.

[Dawn]

I'm not a big poem person, but I did really like the one with scrambled eggs in it.

[Elissa Luckhardt]

super cute and creative book about different made up creatures and machines for transportation told through clever poems and pictures in this poetry picture book.

[Kayla Papadakis]

Creative and playful, this book made poetry feel fun and interactive, turning words into something visual and exciting.

[Tate Ashley]

Hidden review

[Ripley McNab]

I liked this book but even as an adult it was difficult to read aloud to the class. The illustrations were so unique throughout the book though!

[Joey Starr]

This book is a great way to allow for students that love cars to be introduced to poetry. The reason I gave this book 4 stars is because of the great illustrations and the fun word choice when naming the cars.

Guided reading: N/A
DRA Level: N/A
Traits: presentation

[Dornel Cerro]

Poem-Mobiles: Crazy Car Poems (by J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian and iIlustrated by Jeremy Holmes (New York: Schwartz & Wade Books/Random House, 2014. $17.99) is a collaboration by two accomplished and prolific children’s poets whose imagination, word crafting skills, and humor know no bounds. Lewis, author of over eighty children’s books and winner of the National Council of Teachers of English 2011 Poetry award, was the U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate from 2011-2013. Florian, who has written and illustrated over fifty children’s books, won Parent Magazine Best Book of the Year award in 2003 for Bow Wow Meow Meow: It’s Rhyming Cats and Dogs.

The two poets have combined their prodigious writing talents to create a collection of poems about cars. Oh, not the boring kind we adults drive, but really wild, weird, and wacky cars. You know, the ones children would like to drive. Like “Balloon Car” (p. 20):

“My daddy drives a car that floats/an inch above the street
a hundred colorful balloons/tied to a bucket seat”.

Along with some luscious vocabulary (fiery, sudsy, plop, fragrant) the poets use a variety of signature techniques such as rhyme, alliteration, and word plays that delight the the ear, the eye, and the mind:

…”I’m a battery-powered/ automobeeeeeeeeeel!” (“Electric Eel”, p. 11).

“…The cars behind our school/
Are big Tyrannosaurus wrecks …” (“Jurassic Park(ing”), p. 12).

Holmes's digitally colored, pencil and watercolor illustrations are set against a pale background dotted with wacky, mechanical looking elements that enliven the words and increase the zaniness of the poems. Children will want to pour over the illustrations to discover all the neat objects Holmes has inserted into his illustrations.

The collection received good reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and School Library Journal.

This review appeared in Good Reads with Ronna(http://www.goodreadswithronna.com)on April 21, 2014.

[Becky]

Silly car poems. Silly futuristic car poems. J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian have teamed up to bring readers delightful, over-the-top poems about automobiles. The illustrations are by Jeremy Holmes. Poems include: "Giant Bookmobile of Tomorrow," "Mini-Mini-Car," "Fish Car," "Eel-ectric Car," "Jurassic Park(ing)", "The Dragonwagon," "The Paper Car," "The Backwards Car," "High-Heel Car," "23rd-Century Motors," "Balloon Car," "Caterpillar Cab," "Bathtub Car," "The Egg Car," "Hot Dog Car," "The Sloppy-Floppy-Nonstop Jalopy," "Grass Taxi," "The Love Car," "The Banana Split Car," "The Supersonic Ionic Car," and the "Rubber-Band Car."

Without a doubt my absolute favorite is "The Giant Bookmobile of Tomorrow." This little poem is ABSOLUTELY delightful. It is just a gem of a poem, and chances are an instant favorite with librarians everywhere! There is probably a good reason why this poem is at the start! Just open it up, read it, and it might just hook you. I think it's the kind of poem that will appeal to readers even if they "don't like" poetry. The other poems, well, I'm not sure they're equally appealing to non-poetry-readers. But this one, all you have to do is LOVE books, and it's sure to delight!

Some poems are enjoyable because they are silly and playful and use language in a fun way. Some beg to be read aloud. Other poems, however, I didn't quite get as enthusiastic about. Probably the funnest poem title to read aloud is "Sloppy-Floppy-Nonstop Jalopy." I also enjoyed "Hot Dog Car" and "The Banana Split Car."

[mg]

The Banana Split Car, Caterpillar Cab, The Dragonwagon, and the Giant Bookmobile of Tomorrow: Yes, I would happily drive any of those fabulous futuristic vehicles. But until they are actually on the market, J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian have provided this more than satisfying book of imaginative vehicles with fabulous illustrations by Jeremy Holmes.

Readers should get ready for the fun, funky, and fantastic imagination of this trio as they imagine what vehicles will transport us in the future. As stated in the Introduction: "...But someday our fantastic cars / Might look like cool dark chocolate bars, / Banana splits, hot dogs, or fish / Or any kind of ride you wish." Now who wouldn't want to be transported to this particular transportation superhighway of the future?

The illustrations are beautifully done; at times I was more impressed by Holmes' illustration than by the poetry (which is packed full of fun cadences and rhymes). Even if young readers don't get all the poetry's punny language and word play, I have a feeling they will get completely lost in Holmes' imaginative world of creative vehicles.

I definitely recommend this for the preschoolers in your life who love all things transportation, as well as children in grades K-3 who love poetry and imagination (and a touch of wackadoo).

Teachers take note: this would be a wonderful way to inspire children to do some of their own creative poetry writing!

[Madison Tumas]

Poems are all fun and entertaining, this would be great in a kinder class!

[Tasha]

This collaboration between two masters of children’s poetry will transport you to new and different places. Filled with cars that are amazing and wild, the humor-filled poems will delight. Visit the times of the dinosaurs, underwater driving, cars made of paper or shoes. Even cars made from bathtubs and bugs. The poetry flows fast and furious, a perfect pace for young car enthusiasts who may be surprised at how much they enjoy poems.

Lewis and Florian write with a single hand here, the poems flowing naturally from one to the other, the styles of each forming one cohesive whole. They use humor to great effect both in the titles of the poems and throughout, delighting with puns and word play. The poems are also very brief, perfect for young readers to enjoy or even memorize.

The art by Holmes plays up the humor in the poems. His busy active style has lots of motion and zany combinations. The dinosaur car looks like it could reach right off the page and grab you, the ocean page will have you floating along merrily, and the blueprint style of the contents page sets the tone early.

Perfect poems to share aloud with a class, this one may get lost in poetry collections but marketed correctly should zoom off of library shelves. Beep beep!

[Laura Salas]

J. Patrick Lewis and Douglas Florian--TOGETHER? Yep! They have a new funny car poetry collection out called POEM-MOBILES! It's full of whimsical, punny poems by Pat and Douglas--because what else would you expect when these two madly funny men (funny madmen?) get together? And it's illustrated with very cool, can't-even-figure-out-how-to-describe-it art by Jeremy Holmes. (Explore the art further with a fabulous post at the blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast - http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethin....) Your car-crazed young readers will love it (and so will non-car fanatics--I'm proof!). Here's one of my favorites:

Bathtub Car

With hot-water heating
And porcelain seating,
The Bathtub is speeding--
A white limousine

That's sudsy with bubbles.
Forget your car troubles.
Its purpose? It doubles
By keeping you clean!

--J. Patrick Lewis, all rights reserved

Isn't that delightful? (The varying indents were lost to Wordpress formatting--grrr.) I love it. Of course, I'm a lot more partial to baths than to cars, so that could explain why this is one of my particular favorites:>) But if you like dragons or dinosaurs or high heels or paper clips or just about anything, there is a related poem in this book!

[Lynn]

“J. Patrick Lewis working with Douglas Florian! These will be great poems!” I excitedly told my granddaughter. Perhaps my tongue wasn’t working right, but there were some very awkward phrases. With the vocabulary, perhaps this is aimed at older elementary. After reading it as a bedtime story, she had a nightmare about being in a car that was rolling on its own!
I always wonder about concepts that adults are familiar with when set into children’s books. Here we find: Pythagora, fork in the road, no lemons. Are these supposed to stretch the children’s vocabulary? Are they supposed to entertain the adults? One poem also uses the term, "Tyrannosaurus wrecks" which is the title of another book. Hmmmm.
The illustrations are darkish, perhaps dreamy? colors, and each double page spread holds one color theme although some spreads have one poem and others have two. For example, one spread has both the Fish Car and the Eel-ectric Car with both vehicles under water in tones of green.
It would be fun to have students pick a topic and create a set of poems about it, using this book as a model. It would also be useful to have students hear or read the poems without the illustrations to see what the imagine in their minds.

[Barbara]

Twenty-two poems, one which introduces readers to this poetry collection's focus, predict what the cars of the future may look like. Some are gigantic while others are large enough to barely fit their drivers. Some ("The Paper Car") are quite disposable while others ("High-Heel Car"--I won't be driving that one) owe their design innovation to women's footwear. There are even cars that look like eggs, hot dogs, and banana splits. The talented poets rely on whimsical word play and imagination for their designs and their rhymes, and the accompanying illustrations, created in pencil and watercolor and then digitally colored, are imaginative companions to the text. As someone who has spent more than her fair share stuck in traffic jams on the way to and from work in New Orleans, I long to buy "Rubber-Band Car," described thusly: "Bouncing, bounding down the road / Like a leaping, beeping toad. / Made from giant rubber bands / (Very pliant in your hands). / It jumps over traffic jams, / And obstructions gently rams" (p. 36). Yep, it sounds like the perfect vehicle for me. It's clear that the two poets were well fueled with humor and imagination as they crafted these humorous poems.